Chand K Nova - The Wrath of Chand

Chand K Nova

The Wrath of Chand
Nub Country Records; 2015

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Last year Chand K Nova released the instrumental guitar led Solar Bliss. The next logical step would be to name your next release The Wrath of Chand as if you are some unstoppable badass and smother your listeners with more intense guitar. The Wrath of Chand is a twelve song album that continues very much where Solar Bliss left off.

Nova continues to prove his technical and creative abilities on the guitar and for those of us who enjoy a good solo you won’t be disappointed. As much as I can appreciate twelve songs of guitar based instrumental rock I have to admit a couple of the tunes this time around seemed to beg for some vocals.

The album opens with “The Wrath of Chand” which between the guitar fills and heavy hitting drums had a bit of southern flavor mixed in with the metal in the beginning. As the song progresses it because one long Eddie Valen guitar tapping session with plenty of double bass drum to boot. “Restless Savage” has some of the best lead guitar work on the album if you ask me and the overall vibe is hardcore.

The next track “Warlord” was one of the songs that I could picture Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne or another metal singer laying vocals over. I think it was the fact the guitar work was more or less a lot of fill between chord changes. That being said the solo at the end is solid. 

One of the tracks that was a pleasant surprise was “Different Faces of the Same Beast.” The deep electric kick and subtle percussive elements was a nice deviation. The guitar action utilizes some manipulation this time around and it fits the song. Nova trades back to his traditional progressive metal rock style with song like “Chasing Shadows” and “Final Strike.” He saves some of the best for last with the cosmic closer “Above the Downward Spiral.”

The Wrath of Chand isn’t trying to be anything it is not and it is obvious that Nova has a clear idea of the music he wants to make. At the end of the day The Wrath of Chand is an album for those of us who enjoy virtuoso lead guitar playing in the essence of artists like Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani.

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